1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication system comprising an image transmitting device and an image receiving device which can establish data communication with each other, the image transmitting device constituting the image communication system and an image transmitting method, and a recording medium storing a program for controlling a computer in the image transmitting device.
2. Related Art
With the development of an electronic technique, not only a personal computer but also various devices such as a portable telephone set or a personal digital assistant have allowed data communication. A small-sized display device is also attached to the portable telephone set or the personal digital assistant. It is possible to receive image data transmitted through a network and display an image represented by the received image data on the display device.
However, the display device provided in the portable telephone set, the personal digital assistant, or the like is small. Accordingly, it may, in some cases, be difficult to display the same image as the image displayed on the display device connected to the personal computer.
An object of the present invention is to make it possible for an image receiving device to receive image data representing an image suitable for an image to be displayed.
The present invention is directed to an image communication system comprising an image transmitting device (apparatus) and an image receiving device (apparatus) which can establish data communication with each other.
The image receiving device (apparatus) comprises device information transmission means (device) for transmitting to the image transmitting device (apparatus) information relating to the image receiving device (apparatus).
The image transmitting device (apparatus) comprises device information receiving means (device) for receiving information relating to the image receiving device (apparatus) which has been transmitted from the device information transmission means (device) in the image receiving device (apparatus), and image data transmission means (device) for transmitting to the image receiving device (apparatus) image data representing an image having a display format suitable for the image receiving device (apparatus) on the basis of the information relating to the image receiving device (apparatus) which has been received by the device information receiving means (device).
The present invention also provides an image transmitting device (apparatus) constituting the image communication system.
The present invention also provides a method suitable for the image transmitting device (apparatus). That is, in an image transmitting device (apparatus) which can establish data communication with an image receiving device (apparatus), the method comprises the steps of receiving information relating to the image receiving device (apparatus) which has been transmitted from the image receiving device (apparatus); and transmitting to the image receiving device (apparatus) image data representing an image having a display format suitable for the image receiving device (apparatus) on the basis of the received information relating to the image receiving device (apparatus).
Furthermore, the present invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for carrying out the above-mentioned method in the image transmitting device (apparatus).
According to the present invention, information relating to the image receiving device (apparatus) (for example, the type of the image receiving device, information relating to display on a display device connected to the image receiving device, i.e., the size of a display screen, the number of colors which can be displayed, software for image display which is installed in the image receiving device, etc.) is transmitted from the image receiving device to the image transmitting device.
In the image transmitting device (apparatus), the information relating to the image receiving device is received. Consequently, image data representing an image having a display format suitable for the image receiving device (an image of a size suitable for the image receiving device, an image in colors whose number is suitable for the image receiving device, the layout of an image in a case where the image is an edit image which is composed of a plurality of images, display items in a case where a plurality of items including an image item are displayed, etc.) is transmitted to the image receiving device on the basis of the received information.
In the image receiving device (apparatus), image data having a format suitable for display is received. The received image data is fed to a display device, so that an image suitable for the display device connected to the image receiving device is displayed.
The image transmitting device (apparatus) may further comprise storage means (device) for storing image data having a plurality of different display formats. In this case, image data representing the image having the display format suitable for the image receiving device out of the storage means will be transmitted to the image receiving device on the basis of the information relating to the image receiving device which has been received by the device information receiving means.
Edit image data representing an edit image which is composed of a plurality of display items such as an image and a sentence (may be data representing the edit image itself, data representing such an image and a sentence that the edit image can be produced in the image receiving device, or data representing a layout for composing the edit image) may be transmitted to the image receiving device.
The image receiving device (apparatus) may further comprise setting means (device) for setting at least one of the layout and the display items of the edit image, and set information transmission means (device) for transmitting to the image transmitting device information set by the setting means.
In this case, the image transmitting device (apparatus) further comprises set information receiving means (device) for receiving the set information which has been transmitted from the set information transmission means in the image receiving device, and determination means (device) for determining at least one of the layout and the display items of the edit image represented by the edit image data on the basis of the set information which has been received by the set information receiving means.
It is possible to display the edit image having a desired layout and display items on the image receiving device.
The setting means in the image receiving device may be at least one of means for performing the setting so as to collectively edit the whole of the edit image and means for performing the setting so as to edit a part of the edit image. Further, the image communication system may further comprise plural image data storage means (devices) storing a plurality of image data representing images composing the edit image in different data amounts (the image data may be thinned to obtain a plurality of image data, or a part of the image may be cut out to obtain a plurality of image data), and production means (device) for producing the edit image using the image represented by any one of the image data stored in the plural image data storage means.
When the image data representing images corresponding to a plurality of frames are transmitted to the image receiving device from the image transmitting device, the image receiving device further comprises edit image designation means for designating the edit image having the layout and the display items at least one of which should be set by the setting means. Further, the setting means sets at least one of the layout and the display item of the edit image designated by the edit image designation means.
It is possible to designate a desired image, and to set at least one of the layout and the display items of the designated image.
The image receiving device (apparatus) can be further provided with selection means (device) for selecting the image first displayed when the image receiving device and the image transmitting device are formally connected to each other, and selected image transmission means (device) for transmitting to the image transmitting device selected image data representing the image selected by the selection means.
The image transmitting device (apparatus) further comprises selected image receiving means (device) for receiving the selected image data which has been transmitted from the selected image transmission means in the image receiving device. In this case, the image data transmission means will transmit image data representing the image represented by the selected image data which has been received by the selected image receiving means to the image receiving device when the image receiving device and the image transmitting device are formally connected to each other.
By selecting a desired image, the selected desired image can be received in the image receiving device when the image transmitting device and the image receiving device are formally connected to each other (connected to each other after it is confirmed that there is an authorization of connection by a password, an ID, or the like).
The image receiving device (apparatus) may further comprise update command transmission means (device) for transmitting an image update command to the image transmitting device.
In this case, the image transmitting device (apparatus) further comprises update command receiving means (device) for receiving the image update command which has been transmitted from the update command transmission means. The image data transmission means will transmit to the image receiving device image data representing the subsequent image which is linked to an image represented by image data which corresponds to the update command received by the update command receiving means and information relating to the image receiving device and has been transmitted to the image receiving means by the image data transmission means.
The image receiving device (apparatus) may further comprise link image setting means (device) for setting the image to be linked, and link information transmission means (device) for transmitting link information set by the link image setting means to the image transmitting device.
At this time, the image transmitting device (apparatus) further comprises link information receiving means (device) for receiving the link information which has been transmitted from the link information transmission means in the image receiving device. Image data representing the subsequent image to be linked is transmitted to the image receiving device on the basis of the link information which has been received by the link information receiving means.
A user can establish a link with a desired image. Images at link destinations differ depending on users.